


Fall for you (like autumn leaves)

by midnightcry



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Cute, Fluff, M/M, Oneshot, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-07-29 05:38:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16257755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightcry/pseuds/midnightcry
Summary: Fall season with Johnny and Taeyong





	Fall for you (like autumn leaves)

**Author's Note:**

> A cute lil oneshot celebrating my favorite time of the year; fall. And Johnyong of course.
> 
> (English is not my first language so ignore any awkward grammar)

* * *

It's the transition between the hot, scorching summer sun and the gentle caress of warmth, that Taeyong thought he likes the most.  
  
Summer's always been too hot, too demanding in every aspect.  
  
It's the feeling of urgency, quilt almost, that gets to Taeyong. The feeling of always having to be somewhere, doing something, the feeling of summer days slipping past your fingers, as you're stuck at work, not enjoying your time, that get to Taeyong.  
  
That's why he's always preferred fall. Everything seems to calm down. The urgency disappears, replaced by slow evenings under the blanket, with rapid rain as the background music. It's almost like it's easier to breathe.  
  
Johnny's always been different. He has always been able to live in the moment. Enjoy the last rays of the sun as they paint the sky in orange hues.  
  
Johnny's never felt the dread of feeling like time is slipping through your fingers like strands of sand, leaving nothing but hands full of emptiness behind.  
  
Taeyong had always envied Johnny of his carefree attitude towards, well, everything.  
  
While Taeyong always stressed and thought about the future, always afraid that he wasnt doing enough, enough of what, he wasn't really sure.  
  
Johnny never stressed too much, he always believed that what's meant to happen, will happen.  
  
Johnny was grounding in that way. He always talked Taeyong down when his thoughts got too overwhelming.  
  
They had been friends since sophomore year in high school when Johnny had offered Taeyong the last piece of the good pepperoni pizza in the school cafeteria. "You look like you need it more", Johnny had said with an amused smile, that was definitely it, and it had nothing to do with the whine Taeyong accidentally let out when the taller boy had picked up the piece.  
  
Taeyong had stuttered out a thanks and offered to buy the other boy a coke.  
  
The friendship that bloomed lasted all through high school, and into college.  
  
They had both enlisted universities in Seoul, though different ones.  
  
Johnny had chased his dream and majored in photography, while Taeyong had picked medicine (safe future guaranteed).  
  
They had always spent a lot of time in the library, Taeyong's nose buried in his science books, (chemistry and whatever, Johnny didn't really know) while Johnny snapped pictures of him, much to the smaller one's annoyance.  
  
Taeyong had his eyes casted out of the library's dirty window, thoughts uncharacteristically wondering somewhere else than studies.  
  
A sound of camera going off made Taeyong let out a deep sigh and turn his head, still rested on his palm, towards the offender.  
  
"You'd think that you have enough pictures of me in the library, really", he muttered out and lifted his head, picking up his pen with another sigh.  
  
"You looked distracted, I don't have many pictures of that", Johnny smirked and adjusted the lighting in his camera.  
  
Taeyong just hummed and averted his eyes out of the window again.  
  
Johnny glanced at the brown-haired boy and set his camera down to the table with a sigh of his own.  
  
"Okay what is it?"  
  
"The leaves are gaining color", Taeyong muttered with a small smile.  
  
That made Johnny look out too and a smirk appear back on his lips.  
  
He snorted and shook his head.  
  
"What is it with you and this season?"  
  
"I just like it, okay, I think fall is the prettiest season", Taeyong huffed and flipped another book open.  
  
Johnny's own thoughts caught him off guard enough to let out a cough.  
  
_Not as pretty as you though._

“You’re ridiculous”, he settled on saying bringing his camera back up and snapping another picture of the boy.

“Don’t you have places to be? People to meet?” Taeyong flicked his pen at Johnny and regretted it right away. It was his only pen.

“You know you’re my only one”, Johnny winked and it caused Taeyong to let out a long and suffering groan.

“Look, I’m sorry, I’ll let you continue, I know you have an exam coming, chemistry or something”, (a snort from Taeyong) Johnny started, picking up the pen and taking Taeyong’s hand in his. “Just don’t stress too much, when have you ever flanked an exam before?” he continued, gently placing the pen on Taeyong’s open palm.

Taeyong closed his hand around the thin object and couldn’t fight the soft smile and dusty pink that covered his cheekbones.

“What about you then?” Taeyong asked pulling away his hand.

“What about me?”

“Don’t you have a portfolio to make?”

Johnny averted his eyes from Taeyong and shrugged. “Yeah, I’m working on it”.

“What’s it about?”

“Oh, you know. Stuff.”

“Stuff?”

“Yeah.”

Taeyong narrowed his eyes and almost flicked his pen at the other again.

“Why are you being so secretive?” Taeyong asked voice filled with frustration.

“Why are you being so curious? You’ll see eventually”. Johnny smiled one of his charming smiles and Taeyong huffed. He decided to let the matter go for now.

“You’re being weird”, Taeyong said and sifted on his seat, flicking a couple of pages in his textbook.

“And you’re being cute”, Johnny chuckled and reached to pinch Taeyongs cheeks.

Taeyong chucked his pen at laughing Johnny.

  
                                                                                                                                ■■■■  
  
  
The fall had painted all the leaves in different colors.  
  
Orange, red, yellow, some persistent green.  
  
Johnny observed the way Taeyong's eyes scanned the trees with a glint. Taeyong's lips were pulled into a soft smile, his hands buried in the pockets of his jacket, a rosy hue on his cheeks thanks to the crispy weather.  
  
Johnny felt the smooth surface of his camera with his fingertips, lifting the said object and pointing it at his favorite muse.  
  
The familiar sound of a camera made Taeyong turn his head from the leaves to Johnny. The other narrowed his eyes, but eventually just huffed and shook his head.  
  
Taeyong kicked at the fallen leaves on the ground and leaned back on the bench they were sitting at, letting out a deep sigh.  
  
"It's almost over", Taeyong said so quietly, and Johnny had to lean closer.  
  
"Hm?" He said absentmindedly, switching between a few pictures in his camera.  
  
"The fall, I bet it will snow in like, two weeks", Taeyong bended over and gently picked up an orange leaf, as if feeling sorry for it.  
  
Johnny's fingers itched to take the camera and take another picture, to make the solemn expression on Taeyong's face last forever.  
  
"It'll come back next year though", Johnny said.  
  
Taeyong hummed.  
  
"Wonder where I'll be next year", Taeyong muttered, eyes never leaving the fallen leaf.  
  
"You'll be doing great, as you always are", Johnny fully turned to the other boy now, gently taking the leaf from his hands, successfully grabbing Taeyong's attention.  
  
Taeyong looked at him with such uncertainty in his eyes that Johnny felt pain in his chest.  
  
"You've always worked so hard; don't think that it won’t pay off. It will. You're doing great, Taeyong", Johnny spoke so softly it brought a smile on Taeyong's lips.  
  
Without saying a word, the smaller male leaned his head against Johnny's shoulder, his hair tickling his jaw.  
  
"Thank you, Johnny".

Johnny refrained himself from saying something overly cheesy like _Anything for you._

He instead snapped a picture of their sneakers and the surrounding leaves, a bright contrast next to their black and white shoes.

“How’s your portfolio coming along?” Taeyong asked, unconsciously sfhiting even closer to Johnny when a especially crisp gust of wind blew past them, sending the leaves on the ground flying, and making a few more fall from the surrounding trees.

“It’s coming along fine”, Johnny said, a little bit bewitched by the sight of the dancing leaves.

Suddenly Taeyong got up on to his feet with a mischievous smile on his face. He bent down and gathered a bunch of leaves into his hands. With a giggle, he chucked them all at Johnny before sprinting away.

It took Johnny too long to react, but the sight of smiley Taeyong against the beautiful scenery made him stop. Without even thinking, he snapped another picture and couldn’t help but to smile.

The picture had to be his best one yet.

  
  
                                                                                                                                ■■■■

  
  
It was raining, the quiet pitter-patter of Taeyong’s apartment window a slightly annoying but not completely unwelcome background noise.

“Ugh this weather, I hate it, I hate this whole season. I can’t wait for it to be summer again”, Mark, Taeyong’s little brother groaned from his seat on the couch.

They had a movie from Netflix on, it was Mark’s idea to hold a movie night since the weather “was crap”, Mark’s words, not Taeyong’s.

“Quit whining you child, it’s not that bad. It’s kind of soothing, don’t you think?” Taeyong muttered from his place right next to Mark. Johnny snorted from the floor.

“How did you two end up being so different”, Yuta, their friend since high school, asked amusedly.

 “Mark’s just being a baby”, Taeyong smirked and ended up with a face full of pillow.

“I’m not a baby, I’m a normal person. A normal person wouldn’t find this gloomy weather nice”, Mark huffed and Yuta agreed.

“I don’t think it’s that bad”, Johnny absentmindedly said, eyes clued on the screen.

“That’s because you’re completely whipped for Taeyong” Yutasaid with an evil smirk. Taeyong felt heat creeping up his neck and pulled his blanket up more.

“Now that’s just not true”, Johnny said turning around giving Yuta an ugly glare.

“That’s exactly what a whipper person would say”, Yuta sing songed and managed to dodge a punch to his shin.

“Screw you”, Johnny muttered and turned back to the television.

“Oh? Well, mind telling us what your portfolio is about then?” Yuta continued with the same evil glint in his eyes and Johnny turned to him in alarm.

Taeyong’s curiosity peaked at that.

“What? You know what’s it about? Johnny, how come Yuta knows but you won’t tell me?” Taeyong whined.

“Yeah? How come Johnny?” Yuta said with mock curiosity and Johnny shot him another dirty look.

“I told you, you’ll find out, can we just drop it?” Johnny said and tried to give Taeyong a comforting smile.

“Fine, you’re mean though”, Taeyong sniffed buried himself into the blanket.

Johnny placed a hand on his covered thigh and gave a squeeze. The heat crept back up Taeyong’s neck.

“Just wait a little more, okay?”

Taeyong could’ve fough more, but all the fight in him disappeared with the soft pleading smile Johnny sent his way.

“Okay.”

 

  
                                                                                                                                         ■■■■

 

The bare trees were an alarming sign of the closing winter. The landscape had turned from colorful to grey.

Not only the landscape, but Taeyong’s mood seemed to fall with the weather.

Taeyong was nursing a cup of steaming coffee between his hands, sitting in their favorite coffee shop near Taeyong’s campus, a slight frown on his face.

“Don’t do that”, Johnny said, his chin leaning against his propped up palm, his own cup of coffee gradually losing it’s warmth.

“Do what?” Taeyong muttered, not lifting his eyes from the dark liquid.

“Frown. You’re always frowning these days”, Johnny said bringing his other hand and placing two fingers in between Taeyong’s brows, trying to soothe the skin.

Taeyong swatted his hand away with a huff that might have been a laugh. Johnny smiled brilliantly.

“You’re annoying”, Taeyong said and lifted his mug to cover the smile that betrayed him.

“Yeah, but you love me anyways”, Johnny said brightly lifting his camera to take a picture of his steaming coffee cup.

Taeyong choked on his coffee and and felt an ugly blush form on his cheeks.

“Are you okay?” Johnny looked at him worriedly, camera still in hand.

“Yeah, yeah”, Taeyong flailed his hand, coughing one more time before settling back.

Taeyong looked at Johnny, Johnny who seemed completely oblivious of Taeyong’s suffering.

If Taeyong had the courage, he’d just said that yeah, I do love you.

But Taeyong wasn’t brave. Instead, he just watched the other boy fiddle with his camera, letting the surge of affection wash over him. It felt warm, or maybe it was just the coffee.

“My portfolio is almost done”, Johnny said with a proud smile and Taeyong was helpless to do anything else than match the smile with a similar one.

“I’m glad, I bet it will be the best one of your year”, Taeyong softly and Johnny looked at him so fondly he couldn’t help but to think that maybe Johnny felt the same way about him.

“You know what? I think so too”, Johnny said and snapped a photo of Taeyong.

 

 

                                                                                                                                       ■■■■

 

 

Taeyong tightened the scarf around his neck, shivering at the cold air hitting his cheeks.

“It really is getting cold, huh?” Johnny chuckled throwing his hand around Taeyong and pulling the smaller one close.

“It really is”, Taeyong muttered and willed his heart to calm down.

“Why did you want to come here anyway”, Taeyong asked looking around the park they had spent time earlier in the fall.

“It’s really not that pleasant anymore”, he continued shooting a curious look at the tall boy.

“Come here”, Johnny ushered, sitting down on a bench, Taeyong following.

“So, I finished the portfolio”, Johnny said, trying to seem nonchalant, but Taeyong could read him like an open book. Johnny seemed nervous.

“Oh? Does this mean I’ll finally find out what it’s about?” Taeyong teased nudging him.

Johnny just sifted on his seat and stayed quiet.

“Johnny?”

“Uh, yeah. So”, Johnny started taking the bag he had been carrying and taking a folder from it.

“Here it is”, Johnny turned to him and offered it at Taeyong.

Taeyong lifted an eyebrow, taking the folder.

“Okay, you’re kind of creeping me out”, he chuckled nervously before opening the first page.

Taeyong’s heart stuttered in his chest, before starting to race.

The first place was the exact same park they were in, but the trees were colored brilliantly. It was taken earlier that fall. Johnny had enhanced the colours somehow, making the oranges and the reds even more striking.

“Johnny”, Taeyong turned to look at the said boy, who just urged Taeyong to continue.

The next page was Taeyong, sitting on a bench at the park, smiling softly, eyes trained on the trees. Taeyong’s breath hitched.

He turned to another page, it was their sneakers, black and white, in the middle of the leaves on the ground, colors yet again enhanced.

The next page was more beautiful landscape shots, all taken in the fall.

A snapshot of a steaming cup of coffee, and Taeyong holding his own cup on the next page.

Taeyong felt tears prickling in the corners of his eyes as he turned to the last page.

It was Taeyong, smiling brilliantly, in the park again, standing against the colors, leaves falling around him, thanks to a gust of wind.

“Johnny”, Taeyong choked out again, voice thick with unshed tears.

“I think the portfolio would’ve been crappy if it wasn’t for you. You gave me inspiration. You made me see the beauty in things that normal people don’t pay much mind to. It was only given that this would be about you and your favorite season”, Johnny’s eyes were soft in the corners, his smile serene, the look in his eyes sincere.

“I- I don’t know what to say”, Taeyong whispered skimming through the pages again.

“Taeyong?” Johnny said with a waver in his voice that made Taeyong look up.

“I love you”.

It only took Taeyong about a second to throw his arms around the taller boy. He squeezed with all his might, burying his face in the crook of Johnny’s neck.

They stayed like that for a while before Taeyong realized with a startle that he hadn’t answered.

He lifted his head and gave himself a moment to marvel in how close their faces were.

“I love you, too”, he whispered and Johnny’s smile was so bright, it outshined any orange or red in the portfolio.

“Well, that’s a relief”, Johnny whispered and Taeyong huffed out a laugh.

Johnny pulled Taeyong even closer, before slowly pressing his lips against the soft ones. Taeyong moved his hands to Johnny’s neck, smiling stupidly into the kiss.

Taeyong pulled away from the kiss when something cold and wet landed on his cheek. He looked up in confusion and his eyes widened.

He let out an incredulous laugh. “It’s snowing”, he whispered and Johnny looked up too, before settling his eyes back on Taeyong.

“I guess the fall is officially over”, Johnny whispered and Taeyong settled his eyes to Johnny, too.

“I guess it is”.

“Will you be okay?”

“Yeah, I’ve got pictures”, Taeyong lifted the folder and smiled so fondly, it made Johnny pull him into another warm kiss.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Me: "Im dropping hints that the portfolio is about Taeyong. The portofolio is about Taeyong". 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, leave a comment or kudos and happy fall season everyone <3
> 
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/  
> Curiouscat: https://curiouscat.me/Iostlnthedream


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